Sunday, May 31, 2009

Woo! I went to this game because a certain pitcher was *supposed* to have an autograph signing at the sports gallery across the street today after the game, but I guess no one except me remembered that today was going to be a travel game until they checked with him to confirm it this week, and then everyone went "oh, last home game before a road trip, duh, they're taking off for DC after the game, he can't make it." (I had a feeling that this would happen, because I pretty much have the dang schedule memorized, but I was still hoping they'd make the signing work today. Anyway, the signing is postponed but will happen eventually.)

Anyway, yeah -- I was shouting for Sanchez to keep his head in it, but he got pulled in the fifth. Thank goodness for our strong bullpen, guys. I also think Wilson's pulled it together after getting shaken up in mid-May by Blake and all of the drah-mah and nonsense.

Highlights of the game for me: Sandoval's squibbly single down the foul line (right by me), Lewis' amazing catch (also right by me), Medders getting it done, Richie shutting up some of the haters, Rowand's eleventh consecutive game with a hit, Bengie coming in, and getting the win.

Lou Seal highlights: because today was Little Leaguer day, there were kids out on the field when the Giants took it. But before that, Lou Seal snuck up on the third basekid, gave him/her a high-five and a huge hug, then went out to left field, gave the kid a high-five and a huge hug, then tackled him/her to the ground. AWESOME. Another awesome moment: when the Announcer Kid was announcing, the first batter nothing happened. The second batter, Lou Seal snuck up behind him and waved. The third batter, Lou Seal came out of nowhere, running and grabbing him and pulling him offscreen. Hilarious. I love Lou Seal.

I know it's a mean thing to say, but I really really would not be sad if Jonathan Sanchez was traded. It's a shame that a guy with so much talent just cannot get it together. It's more frustrating when you get these flashes of absolute brilliance sandwiched by mediocrity. What do you think it is folks? Is it that he's not as good as we think, or is it something mental? Weigh in people!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

It's still early but man, The Giants are looking great going up against Carpenter! The guy hadnt given up a run all year in 23+ innings pitched and were getting on top of him! 2-0 good guys in bottom of the third! Keep it up boys!

Tonight the Giant's will try to get win number 5 in a row against a very scary Cardinal offense. Zito will take the hill against the always dangerous Carpenter. Since Carpenter came back from the DL he has been nothing short of unstoppable. Also another interesting note: Bengie Molina will be catching Barry Zito tonight for the first time in what feels like forever. Can The Giants get to Carpenter? Will Zito Shut down the Juggernaut that is the Cardinals Offense? Can I haz series win?

Well, It has been 8 games since Bochy moved Rowand to the lead-off spot. Let's review: He is 14-36 (.388 Ba!) 2 Homeruns, 5 doubles, 6 rbis, and perhaps most shocking 2 Stolen bases! I never thought this would work but damn. It is amazing how something as minor as moving someones order in the lineup can serve as a catalyst. Keep it up Rowand were loving the offensive explosion!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

1. I was at the game yesterday (awesome) and Lou Seal threw a shirt at me, but it was slightly too low and so some ass in front of me grabbed it. ASS. But it was a great game overall, and there was beer involved as well as a lot of heckling the outfield. Always a good time.

"At the least, I hope you understand that the situation outlined above is quite a different picture than Matt Cain sitting glumly in a shopping cart with a box of Uncle Ben’s and a dozen Grade AAs."

Does this mean I have to do another photoshop? Your votes, plz.

That said, I don't want to let go of Matt Cain, or anyone on the pitching staff, really. Sure, I grit my teeth a little whenever Howry goes out (I trust Affeldt and Miller; Howry has yet to win me over fully), and I know the boys have done their share of yelling at Wilson, but overall I think we're in a good spot with the starting rotation and the bullpen. If we want any hitters, we're going to have to give up a pitcher, and I don't think there's anyone we should be willing to give, especially since Lowry's pretty much out the door already.

Just my thought. And as a pitching fangirl, I will be pitching (hah) a hissy fit if we do wind up sending off any of our guys.

Tim Lincecum was dominant tonight. 8 innings pitched... 8 Strikeouts... 5 hits scattered... 0 earned runs. He was in control all night! Its great to see the reigning cy young award winner in complete control. The Giants are looking solid after a rough road trip. That's two straight against the Braves to up our home record to a very impressive 15-8...

In other news... Torres was re-activated from the DL today, Jesus Guzman was sent back down to Fresno.. Sergio Romo was spotted in the dugout tonight and should be activated within the next day or two... Tomorrow Randy Johnson takes the bump looking for win number 299.

Man I don't know about the rest of you, but this lineup does not impress me. Guzman had two errors in les than a full games work at First earlier this week, this is definitely going to be interesting ><

Ugh 5 runs in the last 4 games... that's 38 Innings... that Is 1.18 Runs per 9 innings! I am aware that our offense was not supposed to be great but 1.18 runs per game?! To make matters even worse, over that same 38 inning span, we have only allowed 9 runs! (only 2.13 runs per 9 innings) Look, when your pitching staff is allowing just over 2 runs a game, THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO LOSE! I'm not sure what we need to do, but please guys, figure it out!

The Giants have now lost 7 of the last 8 games. 2 more games in Seattle. Cain goes tonight. Perhaps he can restart this team. Regardless something has got to give!

Friday, May 22, 2009

It's 10:45, we're in the 12th, and we have two. hits. One being Aaron Rowand's home run at his very first at-bat. We're in the 12th, and with Rowand stealing second after his single -- yes, Rowand is 2/3rds of our hitting tonight and the only reason we got to 12 innings at all -- we have a RISP for the first time tonight.

So yeah, while it sucks when our bullpen melts down, there is no excuse for two hits going into the 12th, guys. Especially when we're playing in the AL and we have a DH, so we can get our pitchers to the mound for as long as we need (Affeldt, for example) without having to worry about them coming up to bat.

Justin Miller just finished up his second inning, and all I can think about is that he is absolutely covered in ink. You can see it on the backs of his hands, but he's actually required by MLB to wear long-sleeves because of his tattoos. (You can read all about him at this great blogpost by Joan Ryan.)

This game is going to last forever. I do need to go to bed eventually!

Edited 11:05 pm: I should have known that going "geez I am le tired" and Misch going in would mean I'd go to bed sooner than one would hope. Sigh.

But my point remains: twelve innings, three hits (two by Rowand!), one runner in scoring position TOTAL. Ridiculous, Giants offense, just ridiculous.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

From the BART blog: "There'll be 1.5 million of them issued through the end of July. For the Giants you get Randy Winn in May, Matt Cain in June and Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in July. For the A’s, Matt Holliday is featured in May, Jason Giambi in June, and Mark Ellis in July."

How collectible are BART tickets really, though? I mean, I always try to get exact change so that it gets sucked into the machine on my last stop, but I would leave an extra nickel or so on there to get the ticket back.

One specific example occurred during a recent run through when Sweeney made references to the six hole, Zelasko said.

"I know what that is in the lineup, but I said to him, `Mark, tell people what you mean.' It's the sixth spot in the lineup," Zelasko told City News Service.

Zelasko said that in their goal of educating fans, "we're not going to talk down to people."

"If we miss a pitch, its going to be OK if we're educating people," Zelasko said.

and

Zelasko, the mother of a 7-year-old son, Trevor, and a 3-year-old daughter, Isabela, said she "might include what kids are saying at school" and "what moms and dads are saying" when they pick up their children in the broadcasts.

"Sometimes as broadcasters we almost lose touch with the people that are actually out there watching and listening to the game," Zelasko said. "I'll have an ear to the ground, just being a mom and being out there."

LowryHole: Something's not right with my arm. I think I need to see the team doctor.BochyBall: The team doctor?What's he talking about?RideTheSabean: /shrugBochyBall: OH! Wait!/rummages through Barry Bonds' old locker, finds dozens of used syringesBochyBall: Hmm. Sorry, our team doctors are all empty.

BochyBall: Ohhhh okay okay okay...arm arm arm armmmmmBochyBall: what do we know about armsRideTheSabean: you can use them to manipulate the environment around you and stick up your middle finger at peopleBochyBall: Anything else?RideTheSabean: no

BochyBall: Sorry. Anyway. Let me go down a checklist of everything I know about human anatomy and medicine.LowryHole: to answer your first forty or so questions, no, i can't do the regeneration thing that wolverine can do, i'm not the guy on that episode of 20/20 who had acute elephantatitis, and no, i have not recently ingested those suicide pills they give to CIA spies

Giants take on the Dads again tonight, with Rowand leading off. ...Okay! I'm interested to see how this experiment works out, since leadoff hasn't been a good spot for, uh, anybody this season, while Rowand's already been struggling at the plate.

Let's hope Sanchez keeps his head in the game tonight -- it's all about mentality on the mound, whether you're a starter or a closer, and Sanchez tends to get frustrated and slip further if he gets into a little bit of trouble and loses confidence. Like I said, his getting skipped in April must have hurt his confidence, and he's been having rough outings since then. Now's the chance to really get out there and prove he should be there (especially because Lowry ain't coming back...).

The Giants are facing Chris Young tonight. Lots of speed on the paths for the Giants tonight. We could see a lot of stolen bases tonight (if, you know, we can get on base!) Young's height makes for a slow delivery and one heck of an advantage for base stealers. Should be a good one tonight!

Lowry was scheduled to undergo surgery at Baylor University in Texas for thoracic outlet syndrome, the same circulatory problem that befell pitchers Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman and Texas Rangers infielder Hank Blalock.The surgery, which facilitates circulation with the removal of a rib, typically entails a three-month recovery period.

Damon Lapa, Lowry's agent, said Tuesday that Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Greg Pearl confirmed the diagnosis in separate consultations with Lowry last week. Lapa said the circulatory issue was the source of Lowry's forearm tightness in August 2007 and a mysterious control meltdown in spring training of 2008, but that the Giants' medical staff failed to identify the problem.

On March 7 of last year, Giants hand specialist Dr. Gordon Brody performed surgery on Lowry's forearm for exertional compartment syndrome -- a neuromuscular condition that can cause pain in the arms or legs. Lowry was unable to pitch last season, and underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in September after suffering a setback in his rehab.

"Quite honestly, there's a sense of relief. Dr. Andrews and Dr. Pearl have been able to provide answers that the Giants have not been able to provide since Noah got hurt in the fall of 2007," Lapa told ESPN.com. "The two doctors have confirmed the condition and let us know that it's existed since 2007 and essentially been misdiagnosed."

The Giants had no immediate comment."

This is quite the Charge by Lowry's agent. I'm really curious to see how this Plays out. Stay tuned...

Talk about a depressing Statistic: San Francisco is the only team in the Majors without a home run from its first basemen. The National League average is six. The Giants also rank last at that position among NL teams in runs (12) and OPS (.549). The respective league averages, entering Monday, were 21 and .823. Ouch! As stellar as Ishikawa and Aurilla have been defensively, We need some pop from the first base side! Perhaps Jesus Guzman deserves to be called up to the show? (He is hitting .354 in 37 games in Fresno) All I know is it may be time to take a chance to improve the offense a bit!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Noah Lowry's having season-ending surgery -- they're removing his rib (!!!) to alleviate the chronic pain on the left side of his neck/left shoulder.

I've been a fan of Lowry since I first saw him pitch, and I think the last time I saw him was in '07 when he was a substitute right fielder.

When I went to the game last Friday, I stopped in the Giants Dugout store to pick up a hoodie since I knew I would probably end up freezing if I didn't. On the sale wall were Lowry 51 shirts, just like the one I have, and while I know that it's because Lowry gave 51 to Randy Johnson upon his arrival to the Giants, it also was a bit of a slap to the face.

Jonathan Sanchez was spotted warming up in the bullpen in the sixth inning last night. The Giants have an off day today Before they Face-off against The Padres for a three game Set Starting Tuesday. Zito is slated to go for the first game of this series, however I would not be surprised if Lincecum is bumped up an extra day and Sanchez gets bumped for a week. Based on the way he has been pitching in his last few starts, this seems to make a lot of sense. Looks like we will have to wait and see what happens in the couple of days...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Uribe is going on bereavement leave -- which is always a shame. And so, to fill the gap, they're calling up Frandsen. I always liked Frandsen, and was bummed when he a. was hurt for all of last season and b. didn't make the cut after spring training this year.

I'm glad to have him back, and it'll be good to get some fresh(er) blood in the line-up and in the infield, especially since the game's going to be on ESPN tomorrow (oy).

Lincecum was done after six -- looking up at the pitch count and seeing he was at 104 and getting tired, I was like, "all right, he's done, who's up?"... and then he was in the on-deck circle to bat at the bottom of the sixth. He should not have been pitching in the seventh inning and I was shocked that he was. He had just given up two runs in the sixth and was clearly losing steam, and so they put him back in? I don't care if he's the ace, he was done after six.

If Lincecum hadn't been up in the seventh inning putting on base runners without any outs, it would have been a very different inning for Valdez or Affeldt (depending on who they put in at the beginning of the 7th). We're damn lucky that Affeldt managed to get three strike outs, because it was a long, long inning, and it was also a good call to keep him in through the 8th.

We always talk about how we have great pitching and have to really scratch for run support. Well, we showed some great runs in the first couple of innings, but then the pitching just fell apart. (And yes, this is definitely on Wilson too, but it should NOT have been tied up when he took the mound.)

Plus, Uribe was looking really slow out there. No hustle, no trying. Way too many balls squirted past him last night. Dude, if you want to prove that you can stay out in the infield once Renteria gets healthy again, you better at least try to make those grounder plays. Otherwise, you're just going to be sitting on the pine while Renteria's out there. This is your chance to prove you've got good glove, and you're slacking out there.

Today's game (Johnson v. Santana) is going to be good... and probably brutal.

Casey Blake officially responded to the media in regards to his mocking Brian Wilson. "I was excited. I got out of my box a little bit. Apparently they got real upset over it. Whatever." Whatever? Really? I know that Blake was more than likely unaware of the meaning behind Wilson's gesture, but come on really? I cannot wait until August when we get to play the Dodgers.

Well, The Natinals finally got to us today. I suppose even being a last-place bottom rung team, you manage to scrape a win or two. Unfortunately Barry Zito Just didn't get it done today. Allowing 4 earned runs in just a shade over 6 innings. Its the first time in quite awhile The opposition has gotten to the Baron ( before today's game, Zito had allowed 4ER in the last 26.1IN Covering his last 5 previous starts.) While Zitodidn't look "Bad" he just didnt have enough to keep the Natinals at bay. I suppose if there is any solace we can take from today's game it is that Ryan Zimmermans Hit streak of 30 games was halted today. Nothing wrong with a little schadenfreude. Also, it is worth noting that Pat Misch made his season debut for the Gmen after being called up from Fresno. He flat out did not look good. In 1 inning of work he gave up 3 hits (2 being doubles) 2 Earned runs, and looked to lack control. Not a good start if he's looking to stick around. If there is one thing to be happy about, it' that The Giants won yet another series. In fact the Giants have not lost a series since being swept by The Dodgers April 13-16. Very impressive.

Next up: The Met's come to town for a four game tilt starting tomorrow night!The Giant's Jonathan Sanchez (1-3) will face off against Maine (3-2) In what should be a test of our boys abilities against one of the National Leagues truly elite teams!

G: guhJ: yeah?G: stranded the bases loadedJ: yupG: the baron is cruisingJ: yesterday was his birthdayG: yeathat was one of the best games ive been toi mean i still cant believe they wonJ: i was like "eh, giants got this, we don't need to bring in bwils-- crap, now we don't need to bring in bwils because they're winning-- YES AWESOME"schierholtz in two days in a row, hmmmmG: lewis has a foot injuryJ: well, yesJ: and holm is catching

G: WHOTHE F---Brought Pat Misch up?I hate that dudeJ: bochysent down matoswe needed a fresher armG: I cant stand Mischalso zimmermans streak is teh deadsJ: yupG: ALSO PAT MISCH SUICKS!J: I stopped listening so I could charge my phoneG: Misch has seen 4 batters and has given up 2 doubles and a singleJ: ick

G: also i think it might be time to release aurillaJ: aw, richiebut way to go lewisway to get the rbiand way to go schierholtzG: blahJ: arghwell, we took the seriesand we stopped zimmerman's hitting streakG: i hope misch gets demotedJ: i'm sure he will bethat was abysmalG: let someone else have a chance

---

Like I said: we took the series, and we stopped Zimmerman's hitting streak. Mets come into town tomorrow, and they just had their winning streak broken with a loss to the Braves. I'll be going on Friday (Timmy pitching what what), so it should be a good time.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Also, do we have a consensus on the use of "Panda"? Matt Cain has referred to him as Kung Fu Panda, the SF_Giants Twitter account has called him Big Panda, but I've also heard "Little Panda" (with "Big Panda" referring to Bengie, who is technically "Big Money").

I've been a Giants fan for years, but I've been a die-hard Giants fan only the past couple of years. Here's a collection of some of my Giants memories:

- My next-door neighbor and I put together a neighborhood newspaper when we were maybe seven or so. One issue, the sports section was going to look like this: "Kevin Mitchell got traded. (My brother) got a new baseball glove. (Her dad) got a pool table." We eventually cut Kevin Mitchell's news item as he was technically not in our neighborhood.

- I signed a postcard to keep the Giants from going to Florida.

- During the baseball strike, we went to a San Jose Giants game for my friend's birthday. I was the only one who brought a glove. The SJGiants had a promotion where if you caught a foul ball, you'd win a free pizza. I didn't catch a foul ball, but one landed in the seat next to me -- between my friend's back and the back of her chair. We didn't get a pizza.

- In fourth grade, I played Bobby Sox softball (my one and only year of softball). Since we got our jersey numbers in alphabetical order by last name, I was #2. We then went to a game at Candlestick, where the player highlighted in the program was #2, Darren Lewis. I will never forget that, since D-Lew and I shared a number. When Randy Winn came in and took #2, I was like, "aw, that was D-Lew's number!"

- I think the last time I went to Candlestick for the Giants was in the mid-90s, probably the summer of '97. I didn't go to Pac Bell until at least '03.